Neuralink Brain Chip Uses It to Play Counter-Strike 2

The second person to receive a Neuralink brain chip is already using it to play the PC game Counter-Strike 2.

On Wednesday, Elon Musk's company Neuralink shared an update about "Alex," a man who lost control of his limbs due to a spinal cord injury. Last month, he received the brain chip, and since then, he’s been using it to control a mouse on his laptop remotely.

Like the first Neuralink patient, Noland Arbaugh, Alex is using the chip to play his favorite games, including Counter-Strike 2. Before getting the chip, Alex had to use a mouth-operated controller called a QuadStick to play the game. However, this controller only allowed him to move or aim at one time, not both at once like other players.

In other words, Alex had to switch between the mouse and keyboard functions while playing. But now, thanks to Neuralink, he can aim with the implant and move simultaneously using the QuadStick.

Just running around is so enjoyable because I can look side to side without having to move the QuadStick,

I can think about where I want to look, and it just goes there. It’s amazing.

Alex told Neuralink in a blog post.

Along with games, Alex has also been using the implant to develop 3D designs in CAD software. This has included creating a custom mount to hold the electric charger for his Neuralink implant. The mount was then 3D-printed. 

In the blog post, Neuralink also addressed a problem the company faced when placing the chip in Arbaugh, the first patient. Despite successful surgery, about 85% of the thread-based electrodes attached to his brain later became displaced, undermining the full potential of the chip to read neural signals.